Challenge Accepted
by darklink11
Summary: A Silph Co. office worker moves away from his old life into a new home in Alola. He, alongside his Pokemon, has no idea what kind of exciting, dangerous, and possibly romantic adventure lies ahead of him. Will he find the fresh new life he wanted, or is he in over his head?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Contemplations

Nick stood on the beach, the Alolan Breeze soothing his nerves. He was glad he moved here, there was too much hustle and bustle back in Kanto. He used to work for Silph Co. in Saffron City, filing away too many forms for any one man to do. When he saw the ad in the paper for a house in Alola, he jumped at the opportunity. He may have jumped a little too quickly, however, considering he nearly went bankrupt after buying the house.

He was only twenty, and had a bad habit of impulse buying. He was normally kept in line by Alice, his Gardevoir, but she had been asleep at the time of night when he made his decision. She did find out the next morning when she woke up, though, and she was furious. He tried not to think about his purchase when he was around her, but she eventually caught one of his thoughts about it.

In any instance, he now stood a short walk from his brand new home in Heahea City. He was relieved and grateful when she eventually agreed to move, knowing the stress of staying in Saffron was causing harm to both of them, physically, mentally, and emotionally. If they had stayed in his old house, they would've just withered away in misery.

He eventually returned to his new house and saw Alice playing with his Eevee, tossing the Evolution Pokémon into the air and catching it shortly after. All three of his Pokémon were enjoying their new life in Alola. Everyone was so much happier nowadays, including Danny, his Duskull, even though he only went out at night. And due to the low cost of living in Alola, Nick didn't even have to work all that often, giving him way more time to relax with everyone. Looking out the window and towards the sunset, Nick was confident that he was starting a whole new life, and it was going to be amazing. And now it was finally time to sit down and relax.


	2. The Journey Almost Begins

Nick stood in his living room as Alice walked towards one of the windows. The weather in Heahea City was nearly perfect, as usual. The Sun was always shining, it never got too cold, and compared to Saffron, almost everyone was friendly. Nick just couldn't stop thinking about how great this new home was.

_Well, you're going to have to snap back to reality for a little bit, _Alice's voice rang in his head, _We need some more groceries. May you please run to the store and get some for us, _she begged in his head. When Nick had first caught Alice, she had only been a Ralts, and as such her psychic abilities had been fairly undeveloped. She still had enough mental capability for basic battling and occasional speech in his head. He had been a little surprised by it at first, but being around her for so long and her continual growth and development had allowed him to get used to it. And while they haven't battled in a while, she can definitely speak fluently. Well, use telepathy fluently.

"How did you know we were out? You almost never even use the fridge," Nick asked, a smirk on his face. _Danny tried to make a sandwich, and then wouldn't stop whining about how there's 'never enough food' in the house. I don't understand why he eats anyway. He's a ghost, _Alice's response came in his thoughts. She then floated from where she was over to beside Nick, laying her head on his shoulder. _I don't think you have to go now, though. I'm in the mood to cuddle, _she said, her eyes staring up at his. "I'll go in a little bit. I don't feel like walking to the store anyway," Nick, along with Alice drifting beside him, walked to the couch and sat down.

Almost as soon as they were on the couch, Eevee was sitting on Nick's lap. He began to pet the little pokémon as Alice curled up against his shoulder. They all remained comfortable on the sofa in front of one of the windows until an empty bottle almost struck Alice right in the back of her head. She immediately reacted by sending out a pulse of psychic energy to restrain whoever threw the bottle. Nick, along with Eevee, turned around to see who threw the plastic at them, and neither were surprised with who they saw.

Danny, Nick's Duskull, was suspended with a blue layer of psychic energy keeping him right where he was. "You guys looked so comfortable, I just couldn't help but interrupt," the little ghost snickered. The reason Danny, along with most other ghost pokémon could talk is that they used to be people before they died. Alice eventually released her telekinetic grasp on the ghost, and he then simply drifted through the wall and towards Nick's room, where all the pokéballs were lying on a nightstand.

Nick decided to go ahead and get the groceries tonight, lest he forget by morning. He slipped his shoes on, and grabbed his wallet. He decided to leave Eevee at home, but asked Alice if she wanted to tag along with him. She said yes, and grabbed a purse that he had bought her a few months ago. It was a simple white one, to match her dress. She also had a monthly allowance he gave her for leisure spending, so she could just buy whatever she wanted, within reason. After they were both ready, they headed out the door.

Their eventual destination was a little twenty-four hour store just down the street from where they lived. After they walked in, the clerk barely made a noise letting them know he saw them. He appeared to be busy stocking some pamphlets on the counter he was behind. Nick walked around the store, picking up items from a list he had made after a quick inspection of the fridge. Alice, however, had gone almost straight to the sweets section of the store, picking up a chocolate bar. Nick didn't understand why, but Alice had an intense love for chocolate. She had ever since she was a Ralts.

After they both had what they needed from around the store, they went to the front counter to pay for everything. Alice went first, since she had only one item. When Nick was paying for his items, though, he saw the pamphlets that the man had been stocking. The front of each pamphlet had Professor Kukui striking a pose with Rockruff standing beside him. Along the top of the image in bold letters were the words "Trainers Wanted." Nick slipped the pamphlet into his pocket and finished buying everything.

After they had gotten home and put up all the groceries, Nick was lying on the bed, looking at the pamphlet, when Alice walked into the room. She was just wearing a nightgown as she crawled up onto the bed alongside Nick. He turned to her to tell her about all the different advantages and excitement that come with being a trainer, and he could already see her scowl. _You already were a trainer. You decided to stop all that because you said it was 'too dangerous' for us,_ she said, arms crossed. Nick smiled, "Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I forgot how nice it felt to sleep under the stars, a cool breeze across your face, and the dirt beneath your feet."

_Fine. We can go to the Professor's lab. The day after tomorrow, though. I need to get my stuff together, and so do you. Now go to sleep, we have a big week ahead of us, _Alice laid her arm across Nick as he reached over and turned out the light, both soon sleeping soundly.


	3. A Warm-up for Melemele Island

Nick and Alice walked through downtown Heahea, heading from their house to the docks on the Western side of the island. The pamphlet said that in order to become one of Kukui's licensed assistants, all you had to do was sign up for it in his lab. The only hiccup in that was that his lab was on Melemele Island, which was west of where they lived, and there were only two ways to cross between the islands. You could either Mantine surf, which Nick wasn't coordinated enough for, or you could just ride one of the ferries. Nick and Alice had, of course, chosen to ride the ferry. Nick had called ahead and booked a couple of spots on the soonest departure. Nick was surprised to hear that tickets for travel were free, as long as the destination was one of the two neighboring islands.

Nick and Alice walked further along the road, passing by numerous restaurants, tourist traps, and even a couple of boutiques. And no matter how much Alice begged him for a new dress, Nick adamantly denied the shopping spree. They didn't have much time before the ferry left, and Alice could shop for hours. Along with the time restraints, Nick didn't want to risk spending that much money. While it was true that common residents could live for almost no cost, trainers still had to pay for adventure supplies. And since Nick didn't currently have any potions or other supplies for adventure, he was going to have to buy some after they arrived on Melemele Island.

After about thirty minutes of walking, they were both standing on the docks, the sea breeze here even stronger than it was at their house. Alice was the one who spotted where the ferry was docked, and they both began to board the ship when Nate noticed a little boy watching them with an in gaze. After everyone had boarded, the ship had began its trip, and Nate was approached by the same little boy from earlier. The child was clutching a pokéball in his hand, and had a determined look on his face.

"Hey mister," the boy said in a voice just as determined as his look, "I want to battle you." Nick looked around, spotting a small arena near the front of the ship. "Alright," Nick agreed, "but only if there's a Pokécenter on board." The little boy looked around, soon spotting a small medical center near the arena, then he and Nick walked to opposite ends of the battlefield. The little boy tightened his grip on the pokéball, then proceeded to lift his arm and throw the little plastic sphere towards his side of the field. The ball bounced off the ground, a flash of white light burst from the orb.

The first thing Nick noticed about the opponent was the smell. Almost everyone within sight was visibly nauseated by the smell, except for the child. The stench reminded Nick of a landfill, except ten times worse. The second thing Nick noticed was the noise. Instead of sounding like an ordinary pokémon, the opponent made a semi-wet plop when it landed. "Grimer," the pokémon practically belched out. Nick's face changed to one of visible confusion. Soon, Nick noticed that there was something wrong with it, though.

"Kid, I think something's wrong with your pokémon," Nick said, Alice still standing beside him. The child looked at him, a perplexed expression visible. "What do you mean? He's perfectly healthy," the kid replied, gesturing to Grimer, who was blissfully grinning while rocking with the ship.

Nick pointed at Grimer, still confused. "Yeah, but he's so… green," he said, waving his hand to try and get some of the stench away from his nose. The kid then seemed to understand, recognition crossing over his face. "You're not from Alola, are you? The islands make some of the pokémon here, different than other places," the kid said, proud that he knew that. Nick sort of understood, but they still haven't battled yet, so Nick suggested they begin soon. He turned to Alice.

"Are you going out there," he asked her, gesturing to the field. A look of disgust crossed her face before she pointed at the sludge pokémon. _You want me to touch that thing, _she said to him telepathically. "What do you mean," Nick replied, "You won't even touch him. You only use special attacks."

_Fine,_ Alice groaned, floating to her spot on the battlefield, straightening out her dress before the battle commenced. The little boy decided to go first, having his Grimer use Acid Spray on Alice. She dodged with ease, doing a twirl to move out of the way. _Alright, Alice. You know what to do,_ Nick thought. A determined nod from Alice let him know she heard it. She raised her hands towards Grimer as her eyes began to glow blue. With a bright flash, she used Psychic on the Grimer, but to both her and Nick's surprise, Grimer was completely unfazed.

The kid noticed their confusion, and went to clarify. "Not only do some of the pokémon around here look different, but some also have different types. Like my Grimer here. He's a poison type as usual, but he's also a dark type," the kid said, and Grimer smiled after hearing his name called. After hearing that, both Nick and Alice looked at each other, a new plan already formed. Alice raised her hands to the sky, and a pink orb started forming between them. She then pointed her arm directly at the Grimer and unleashed the Moonblast which raced straight towards the pile of gunk.

The impact of the orb created a cloud of smoke to erupt from the enemy pokémon, cloaking the entire side of the battlefield. When the smoke cleared, Alice and Nick breathed sighs of relief, seeing the Grimer having pretty much melted where it was. "No," the little boy said, distressed. "My daddy said his pokémon was super tough. Well, mommy's pokémon always won," he said, pulling out a second pokéball. "Go, Oricorio," he exclaimed as he tossed the ball. When the white light cleared, Nick saw a little pink bird wearing what seemed to be a hat of feathers and a similar looking skirt. He recognized this pokémon from brochures and travel guides. Oricorio was an avian dancer who changed appearance and type based on the nectar it drinks. The pink one was a psychic type, if he recalled correctly. Based on that, he knew exactly who to use.

_Alright, Alice. You can come back. I'm gonna let Danny get some practice in,_ Nick thought, to which Alice nodded, then gracefully floated off the field. Nick reached onto his belt and grabbed one of his pokéballs, tossing it towards the field. "Go, Danny," he said, the Duskull floating around the field once the light cleared. The little ghost snickered, his single red eye focusing on the Oricorio, which caused it to shiver. "Alright Danny, let's go ahead and hit it with a Shadow Sneak!" Danny's entire body turned pitch black except for his eye, which still glowed red, before he melted into the floor and almost immediately reappeared behind the small bird, striking it directly in the back. The bird recovered, and jumped away from the Duskull.

"Oricorio, use Feather Dance!" The bird began to do an energetic dance, quickly shaking its hips and head, loosening some of its feathers. At the end of the dance, it forcefully flung the loosened feathers, which flew straight towards Danny. They clung to most of his body, coating him in a layer of feathers. Alice giggled at the sight, while Nick tried to hold back a smile. Danny was visibly irritated by this, and his gaze towards Oricorio became a glare. "Alright, Danny. Let's try and finish this quickly. Use Shadow Sneak again," Nick commanded. Danny once again dissolved into darkness before quickly reappearing near Oricorio. This time, though, his anger caused him to strike so hard that Oricorio was sent straight to the ground. After a couple seconds of stillness from the dancer, the battle was ended.

After everyone had been healed, the little boy approached Nick, a handful of cash held in front of him. "Here you go," he said pushing his hand forward. Nick only took half of it and slipped it in his wallet. "Keep the rest. I have enough cash to make it for now," he said, patting the kid on the head. The child looked sad that Nick had refused his payment, then he had an idea. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a book. "Then you can have this. It'll help you learn about a bunch of the stuff around here," he said enthusiastically, handing the book to Nick.

Nick took it and looked at the cover. It had a picture of a white, fluffy Vulpix surrounded by a floral print. At the top of the image was the title, _A Local's Guide to Alola_. He opened it up to the glossary, seeing that the book had descriptions of all sorts of things, such as Alolan forms, local pokémon, points of interest, and much more. He went to thank the little boy, but by the time he had looked up from the book, the kid had already scampered off, probably rejoining his parents. Nick just shrugged and put the book in his backpack, noticing that the ferry had arrived on Melemele Island. He put his arm around Alice, excited to finally be on the road again.


	4. Rest and Relaxation

Nick and Alice stepped off the ferry into the Hau'oli City terminal. Walking into the waiting area, they stopped at a vending machine to get a quick drink for the road before continuing on their journey. They walked past a couple of tourists chatting near the counter and continued out through the front door.

They walked north from the marina, passing the police station, where a cop was escorting some teenager through the doors. Continuing on the long way around the city, they passed a photo studio, a few houses, and even a pokémon center. They were going to continue onwards, but Nick was feeling tired from all that had happened earlier, and he pointed out to Alice that it was getting pretty late. Walking inside the building, they were greeted by Nurse Joy, who was currently busy sweeping the floor.

Nick approached her, but she directed him to go to the front counter. She then propped the broom against a wall and walked to behind the counter. "I would like to book a room for a little bit," Nick said, pulling out his wallet. "Alright," the nurse replied, "I'll just need to see your I.D. and it's yours."

Nick set his trainer card on the counter, then Joy picked it up, swiped it through a machine, and handed it back. "Your room will be number eighteen," she said, "Last one on the right when you get to the second floor." She then walked back to the broom and resumed sweeping. Nick then approached one of the two men behind the Pokémart counter while Alice went ahead to their room. One of the men stopped stocking shelves to tend to Nick, while the other barely seemed to notice him.

After a quick exchange where Nick just bought a couple of potions and some assorted gear, he was on his way to the room. Walking through the door, he saw Alice just lying on the bed, watching a battle on the television. She was wearing a slightly different gown, her normal one hung up by the door. He set down the backpack, taking off his cap and jacket, then sat on the edge of the bed. He removed his shoes, then changed into a pair of shorts before lying down. He felt Alice snuggle up beside him before they both drifted off into a deep slumber.

Nick opened his eyes, no longer in the pokémon center. In fact, he had no idea where he was. The entire area was almost pitch black, unnaturally so. Almost directly in front of him, there was a large black crystal, looking even darker than the area around it. He reached out to touch it, feeling a smooth, glassy surface, before the crystal seemed to shift a little. It suddenly whipped around, a pair of blood red eyes suddenly focusing on Nick, a hollow screech filling the air.

Nick sat up suddenly, a pool of sweat having formed around him. Alice was leaning over him, a concerned expression evident on her face._ What did you dream about? I couldn't read it for some reason,_ she said to him, her hand against the side of his head. He did his best to explain it, still shaken by the sound that… thing produced. Alice looked worried about what he described, alongside the fact that she couldn't see any of it. After a few minutes of Alice comforting Nick, they both changed back into their regular outfits, grabbed their stuff, and left.

After some adorable begging from Alice, Nick caved and they both went to the shopping mall that was practically next door. He decided to let her buy anything within a certain price limit, and figured he might treat himself as well. _Besides, all the lights, noise, and people could help keep your mind off your nightmare, _she had coaxed earlier. They walked in, hearing a few people chatting, along with a few stores describing their wares to customers. They could almost immediately smell what seemed to be a buffet, along with seeing what looked like a sort of stage on the second floor. What really drew Alice's attention, though, was what looked like a boutique. And to Nick's dismay, it looked expensive.

Alice practically ran towards it, dragging Nick along with her psychic power. He didn't even bother trying to resist, because he knew he wasn't capable of getting out of her ethereal grip. She ran into the store, seeing all kinds of high end clothes, including suits, dresses, and for some reason, a set of Kommo-o themed armor. Alice set Nick down and began to ruffle through various dresses that were hanging on racks, occasionally stopping to look at a purse or some shoes on the mannequins. She eventually found one that she was absolutely enamored with, though, and practically got on her knees to beg Nick to buy it.

He looked at the dress, noticing how nice it really was. It was similar to her gown, with a few noticeable details, first of which was color. Instead of the white she usually wore, this dress was almost solid black. The next detail he noticed was that the bottom of the dress wasn't as flowing as Alice's, being more form fitting instead. He grabbed the dress off the rack and found the price tag, and was mildly surprised. The dress didn't cost as much as he originally thought it might. While it was still more than Alice's allotted amount, he could stay under budget if he just didn't buy anything for himself.

Deciding he didn't want anything anyway, he took the dress to the counter to pay for it. "Excuse me, ma'am, but does this come in different variations," Nick said, laying the dress in question on the polished surface. The attendant looked at the dress, then glanced beside Nick to see Alice gleefully watching the dress. "Would you like to buy this for your Gardevoir," the attendant said, already reaching under the counter to pull out a key. After Nick confirmed that it was for Alice, the attendant walked into a storeroom behind her, soon returning with what looked like the same dress, but there was a slit in the chest and back for a Gardevoir's spikes, along with matching gloves to go with it. Nick made the purchase, then he and Alice went back to their room. Once in the room, they both decided to just call room service instead of calling a restaurant.

A few minutes later, a Chansey knocked on their door to deliver the two meals ordered, along with a container of Eevee food, and some Duskull snacks for Danny. After everyone had eaten, they were all relaxing, except for Danny, who went out to wander in the night, probably trying to scare some random stranger. Listening to Eevee's gentle snores, the TV, and Alice's soft breathing, Nick once again settled down to sleep, hopefully without a nightmare this time.


	5. An Alolan Trainer

Alice woke up first, the sunlight easing in through the window. She looked over towards Nick, who was still asleep, before yawning and getting out of the bed. She grabbed her new dress, which was currently hanging on one of the provided hangers, before heading into the bathroom to change. She slipped her nightgown off, catching a look at herself in the mirror.

She was slightly taller than an average Gardevoir, and her hair had a blue streak running down the right side. The only other thing that made her different than most of her species was the fact that she had permanent breasts. She didn't understand why, and frankly, she didn't question it. They didn't get in the way of battling, as they were just B cup, but other Gardevoir treated her oddly for it.

Putting the thought aside, she finished slipping into her new dress, draping her nightgown over her arm, and exited the bathroom. Nick had already finished getting dressed and was sitting on the bed, watching the television. _Are you ready to go,_ she asked him, folding her gown and laying it in a silver box. He nodded once, grabbing the remote and switching the television off. They then proceeded downstairs, stored all but the essentials in the P.C., and checked out of their room.

They walked down the street, Alice's new black dress flowing in the warm sea breeze. They passed by a number of shops, including a tourism bureau, where Alice spotted a young couple holding a map and pointing to various buildings in town. They passed by a set of stairs leading from the street down to a small beach area occupied by a number of people before seeing the city's welcome sign. As they passed by, they noticed the back of it read "Now leaving Hau'oli City, 'A city overflowing with gentle joy.'"

Almost immediately after the sign, the road took a gentle left, and Alice and Nick were soon standing in front of the local trainers' school. They saw a little boy walking around with a Rockruff in the school's courtyard, picking up rocks and throwing them, only for the Rockruff to promptly return with them. The puppy pokémon soon noticed both Nick and Alice, however, and began barking and running towards them. The little canine jumped at Alice who caught it and began to play with it, while making sure her dress didn't get dirty.

The little boy approached Nick, a look of intrigue on his face. He kept glancing between Nick and the two pokémon, silently observing them playing. Nick noticed the child wasn't speaking, and he, too, became intrigued. When the child looked back, Nick asked, "Do you, by chance, attend the Trainers' School?" The child nodded his head no, before pulling out a small tablet. He typed on it, eventually communicating to ask if they were looking for someone.

Nick confirmed that they were, and asked the child if he knew where Professor Kukui's lab was. The child nodded yes, before retrieving Rockruff from a now sorrowful Alice, before signaling that they should follow him. Alice looked at the child, then Nick, and soon they all began to walk further eastward.

They almost immediately passed a Pokémon Center, likely installed for the students at the school, before the road became almost immediately dirt and grass. They passed a moderately sized house, a woman sweeping the porch waved at them, and they took a turn south down the path. The little boy ducked into the grass, Rockruff doing the same, before Nick and Alice also began to wade through the overgrown area.

A few Wingull circled overhead, cawing joyfully in the clear sunlight. A girl approached them, wearing a white polo and green skirt, before smiling. "Alola," she said, "Do you want to have a quick battle with my super cute pokémon?" Nick agreed to do so, grabbing Danny's pokéball. The young lass, having introduced herself as Madison, grabbed her own pokéball before tossing it.

A very angry looking ferret appeared on the field, a yellow stripe running down its back. "Yungoos," it hissed towards the little ghost pokémon. The Yungoos immediately tried using Scratch on Danny, only for the attack to pass clean through. The Requiem pokémon snickered maliciously before quickly striking the Yungoos with a well-placed Pursuit. The Loitering pokémon immediately passed out, a defeated expression covering the lass's face.

She looked at Danny and Nick, respectful look soon taking over. "You're kinda strong, aren't you? You're probably looking for the professor," she said, pointing towards what looked like a rickety shack on the nearby beach. Nick, Alice, and the child had soon tread over the sand, and stood on the front porch. They knocked on the front door, hearing a crash inside in response.

The front door soon opened, a very tone and muscular man in nothing more than shorts, a lab coat, and a cap standing in front of them. A Poliwhirl stood beside him, looking around at all the guests. "Good afternoon sir. You must be here about being a trainer," Kukui said, allowing Nick and Alice in, before he noticed the small child with the Rockruff. "There you two are. I've been looking for you all day." The Rockruff happily dashed inside, then the boy began to giggle. His skin and clothes became a solid black before he began to shrink in stature. When the ink color faded, where the boy once stood was a small black fox. It, too, hopped into the house, yipping after the Rockruff.

"So, you want to become a trainer, right," Kukui said, guiding Nick towards the back of the shack. He grabbed a trio of pokéballs off a counter against a wall, holding them towards Nick. "You get to pick one of these. Even if you have others already, it's still protocol to give you one." Nick grabbed the one in the middle, opening it up to reveal a small blue seal. "Popplio," it bubbled out, a grin spread across his face. Even though Nick had only opened the one pokéball, he already knew that he wanted this one. The squeal from Alice cemented the Sea Lion's position on the team. "Welcome aboard, Jack."

Kukui reached towards another shelf, a grin stuck on his face. He turned around, a cable in his hand. "Do you already have an I.D.," he asked, holding his hand out. Nick pulled out his old Pokédex, having found it just before they left for their journey. He handed it to Kukui who's smile seemed to never fade. "Wonderful, just wonderful. You already having a Pokédex makes my job so much easier. Way less paperwork on my behalf," he said, plugging the cable into the base of Nick's Dex. He then handed the device back, having finished the update to Nick's info.

"Looks like that's it, pal. You're now an official Alolan trainer."


	6. The Mysterious Woman

Nick and Alice stood in Kukui's lab, the professor standing across from them. "How's it feel," he asked, "being an official Alolan trainer?" Nick wanted to say it felt good, but honestly, he felt the same. "I feel just like I did yesterday," Nick responded, shrugging. The professor nodded at this, not being too surprised. "It never feels the same as being registered for the first time. Speaking of, you'll have to register your new Popplio next time you're at a Pokémon center."

Nick picked the little Sea Lion up, holding it close to his chest. It happily barked, little bubbles rising from its mouth. He sat it back down and let Eevee out beside it, the two running around to play. Alice walked over to join them, sitting on the floor to better play with the two little pokémon. The professor soon spoke up, grabbing a couple of papers off his desk. "Since you're now able to battle officially, you should think about starting the Island Challenge. Since you're not from the islands, it's basically our version of the League Challenge," he explained.

Nick looked at the papers, seeing a few different fields he would have to fill out. While Alice was gleefully playing on the floor, giggling like a child, Nick began and finished the forms. The professor took the completed forms and ran them through a scanner he had sitting on his coffee table. Once the machine stopped whirring, Kukui grabbed the sheets, put them on his desk and approached what looked like a printer. It soon spat out a little plastic card with Nick's face on it along with a bunch of other information.

"That's proof that you've begun the Island Challenge. With that card, they'll let you into most of the trial areas," the professor explained, the two of them approaching the front door of the lab. Alice, after having caught both of the little pokémon, followed the two men out. "With all that done, you should be all set. Good luck out there, kid," the professor said, the five of them now on the beach out front. After everyone said their farewells, the professor went back inside, and the rest of the group started north from the lab.

As they were walking, Alice turned to Nick. _Do you really want to call Popplio that? _Nick looked back to Alice, mildly confused. "What's wrong with Jack? That was an old pirate's name," he said, the water-type hopping along beside them. _Does he look like a pirate to you,_ she asked him, a look of bemusement appearing on her face. "Did you have something in mind," he asked, picking up his newest team member. _I was thinking we could call him Sean, like ocean,_ she said, Eevee now in her arms. Nick let out a little laugh, causing Alice's smile to grow a little. "That's such a cheesy name, but at the same time it fits really well," he said, Popplio happily riding in Nick's arms.

Before they knew it, the group had arrived at Iki Town. The small group of buildings was mostly tranquil, save for one person who was trying to flag down anyone with a pokémon. The woman approached them, her black dress flowing as she strode around the wooden stage in the center of the town. She stopped in front of them, seeing the three pokémon and turned to Nick. "Excuse me sir, but may you help me," she said, her voice sounding slightly sorrowful. "I need help finding the guardian of this island for a very important problem, but the path is dangerous and I don't have pokémon," she said, clasping her hands together.

Nick cocked his head to the side, "What's the guardian?" A bellowing yet cheerful voice came from behind him, "Tapu Koko has kept this island safe for generations, and helps all who need it." Nick turned around, seeing a large man wearing a bright yellow robe. "You should know, though, that not just anyone can summon the guardians. You have to be worthy," he said, before pointing to a trail near the back of the town. "That path should take you directly there. It won't be too dangerous, but you should have a pokémon just in case."

The large man then heard someone calling him over, so he smiled and walked over to the child that had been calling his name. Nick glanced over to the woman in black, seeing her staring wistfully at the ground. He realized then that she must not have any pokémon, Nick offered his assistance in reaching the shrine, and the woman looked at him. "You would help a total stranger traverse a dangerous path, even though we just met?"

Nick smiled, his arm around Alice. "Well, of course. It would be kinda rude to just leave you here alone, wouldn't it?" The woman smiled, wiping away her tears, and looked at Nick. "Thank you," she said, before she removed a black bracelet from her wrist. She handed it to Nick, who looked at her with slight confusion. The woman explained before letting go, though, saying, "Consider this a form of preemptive payment. I'm not sure what it is, but I woke up with it."

Nick accepted the gift, slipping it into his pocket. The three of them then set off, following a winding trail through the woods north of Iki Town. Before too long, they happened upon a swinging wooden bridge crossing a vast canyon. Nick, who was in the lead, stopped the three of them. "This doesn't look to safe. It looks like half the bridge is rotting," he said, rummaging on the ground. He soon found a suitable looking rock, tossing it onto the bridge. The small stone simply bounced on the wood a couple of times before going over the edge, far into the river below.

"It should be stable enough for us to cross one at a time," Nick deduced, gingerly stepping onto the first plank of wood. The plank beneath his foot creaked in protest, but otherwise held fast. He eventually managed to cross the whole bridge without much of a problem before looking back at Alice and the woman. Alice simply shook her head before wrapping her arms around the lady and simply teleporting them across the bridge. _Do you ever think about the fact that I can teleport,_ she thought to Nick, who grinned at her. "That would be too easy. Also, I know it takes some energy for you to do that," he said, his hand on her shoulder.

They looked towards the woman, who was seemingly unfazed by the teleportation, and noticed that she was staring at a small building ahead of them. Without so much as a word, she approached the front of the building, mesmerized by something within. Before she could get through the door, however, they heard a battle cry from the sky above them. Alice reacted immediately, throwing a psychic shield above the three of them, only to have it shatter in the blink of an eye.

Hovering above them, a small black and orange creature glared down. It seemed to have a particular focus on the lady in the black dress. It reared back, drawing its bird-like shield closed, before charging a massive bolt of electricity. It released, the bolt arcing straight towards the defenseless woman, before Alice redirected the lightning with her psychic abilities. The attack surged left, completely obliterating a tree that was unfortunately in the way.

Before the battle could continue, the Island Guardian vanished, having fled faster than anyone could track. The trio soon realized why, though, hearing a rustle coming from some nearby bushes. Alice prepared a bolt of psychic power, preparing to fire, before a person was revealed to be the noisemaker. Two, actually, as both crawled through the bush, brushing leaves off of their black tank tops and skull designed bandanas. The one who revealed himself first struck an odd pose before speaking up.

"You guys shouldn't be out here, we heard dangerous birds was near," he said, his partner nodding beside him. "Yeah, and we heard a big blast, so we tried to get here fast." Nick sighed at the two's odd rhyming habit, the first one speaking up again. "The boss wants us to help the lost folks, and we promise you it ain't a hoax." Before the two could continue rhyming, Alice simply teleported everyone back to town.

The second grunt spoke up, a visible frown on his face. "Now how are we gonna help, huh? The boss wants us to be nice to ya." Nick just quietly thanked the two odd men, before they simply shrugged and walked away. Nick turned to the mysterious lady, only to see that she, too, had left. Nick turned to Alice, a look of confusion on his face, asking, "Did you see where she went? I wanted to give her bracelet back." Alice nodded her head no, before relaying that she didn't even sense the lady nearby.

After the odd moment had passed, Nick and Alice rented a room in a local bed and breakfast. After Alice had already slipped into her nightgown and laid down, Nick was sitting on the edge of the bed. In his hand was the bracelet the mysterious lady had given him. He now realized more of the intricacies, such as the near crystalline design of the band, or the three hollow diamond shapes around it. He set it on the nightstand beside his bed before lying down beside Alice, deciding to rest for the night.

Nick opened his eyes, surrounded by darkness once more. As he adjusted to the dark, however, he began to notice the outlines of dozens of buildings all around him, more advanced than he had ever seen. He shifted his focus to a figure he hadn't noticed in front of him, sobbing in the middle of what seemed to be a crossroad. The figure then stopped sobbing, noticing Nick's presence, and slowly turned. Nick's blood ran cold as he thought he recognized the face in front of him.

It was the lady in the black dress.

Only now, she looked terrified. Nick soon found out why, however, when the darkness was cut by a terrifying screech. It was the same hollow, pained screech he heard in a previous nightmare. He turned around, seeing the same blood red eyes as before. He froze in fear, the creature raising a massive clawed hand and swinging directly at Nick. He closed his eyes in anticipation of the attack, but it never came.

He opened his eyes to realize he was still in the room they had rented. Alice lay beside him, softly snoring, before rolling over and embracing him. Nick's mind raced, trying to figure out why he saw a total stranger in his nightmare. One he had met today, no less, as well as that same crystal creature. It sounded as if it were in pain, and the woman had been in tears as well. With a full mind, Nick eventually managed to drift into a dreamless rest.


End file.
